Manifold order-book



J. S. MCDONALD. MANIFOLD ORDER BOOK.

No. 431,071. Patented Ju1y1,1890.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES S. MCDONALD, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

MANIFOLD ORDER-BOOK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 431,071, dated July 1, 1890.

Application filed September 4, 1888. Serial No. 284,536. (No model.)

. manifold order-books in which carbon-sheets are employed for producing duplicate memoranda of the original itemized bill of sale and cash received thereon, such as are now commonly employed in retail business generally, but is especially designed as an improvement upon the invention set forth in United States Letters Patent No. 377,360, granted me the 31st day of January, A. D. 1888.

The prime object of this invention is to cheapen the cost of manufacture of such order-books, and at the same time promote the durability and utility thereof by simplifying the construction.

Another object is to combine with the sprin gclamping plate, which subserves the double purpose of a holder for the carbon-sheet and the binding-plate for the outer end of the orders, a spring-holder for yieldingly maintaining the inner ends of the orders from displacement regardless of the height of the pile of orders contained in the tablet, and, finally, to generally strengthen the construction and improve the appearance of the order-books as a whole, while reducing the cost of manufacture and increasing the utility thereof. These objects are attained bythe devices illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 represents a perspective view of an order-book embodying my invention, showing the usual cover applied thereto for protecting the tablet from injury and displacement; Fig. 2, an inverted plan of the base for the order, showing one form of attaching the spring-supports for the clamping-plate and order-holder; Fig. 3, a side elevation of the base, showing a tablet of orders thereon and the normal position of the clamping-plate and holder; Fig. 4, aperspective view of the outer end of the tablet, more particularly illustrating the construction of the clamping-plate therefor; and Fig. 5, a similar view showing a roughened surface near the end of the base to prevent the orders from slipping.

Similar letters of reference indicate the same parts in the several figures of the drawlngs.

Referring by letter to the accompanying drawings, A indicates the base for the tablet, of thick pasteboard or other suitable material, and preferably secured to one leaf of an inclosing-cover B, the other leaf of which, flexibly connected therewith, is provided with a pocket for a record-card C, having numbers and spaces corresponding with the numbers of the tablet-sheets, which latter, as clearly shown in Fig. 1, are connected together and folded in a zigzag manner.

The leaf of the cover holding the recordsheets is further strengthened by a metallic sheet D, inclosed therein or otherwise attached thereto, and with an end metallic strip E,jfor holding the upper and inner end of the card, these metallic portions serving to impart a considerable degree of rigidity to the cover and materially enhance the durability thereof. 7

Upon the base is laid a pile or tablet G of blank orders, which are held thereon at one end by means of the clamping-plate II, we tending transversely across the outer ends thereof and secured to and supported upon the free ends of parallel spring arms or rods I, extending obliquely along the sides of the tablet, the body of which arm lies in a groove J on the under side of the base, between the center and inner end thereof, extending transversely across the base, as more clearly shown in Fig. 2, and then bent outwardly again at an acute angle, where the ends K thereof rest in corresponding extensions of the groove J, and thus give to the wire the necessary torsional strain for imparting a pressure to the clamping-plate H, which, by its yielding pressure in the direction of the base, holds the remaining orders as the others are removed.

The arms are secured to the base by means of staples L, lying in the transverse portion of the groove J, while the ends thereof are likewise held by their staples M in the extended portions of said grooves, both of these staples being preferably struck up from a metallic plate N, inserted within and secured to the base by means of prongs or lips O,

ICO

' ing pressure upon the end of the-tablet, which,

while it permits the ready withdrawal of the tablet-sheets from under it, at the same time holds the remaining sheets in position against displacement, the yielding pressure being eX- erted at all times, regardless of the thickness or height of the tablet.

I do not,however, desireto limit myself to the particular means just described for securing the spring-arms to the base nor to the particular manner in which the ends thereof are bent, for, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 2, ordinary staples S may be employed for securing both the body and end portions of the arms to the base, and the end portions may be bent at a right angle to the body, extending parallel in a vertical plane with the arms; or any other means may be employed for securing these arms to the base-plates, so long as they produce a torsional strain upon the arms tending to create a yielding pressure of the clamping-plate and holder.

The clamping-plate H is mounted on the free ends of the arms I, the ends thereof being formed into eyes a, and for the purpose of securing the carbon-sheet thereto there is also secured upon said arms a binding-platecapable of being caught or sprung onto the other arm by a hook cl, formed on the free end thereof, between which binding and clamping plates the end of the carbon-sheet is firmly held, thereby avoiding the necessity for handling the carbon-sheet when removing the filled-outorders.

The binding-plate operating upon the hinge is of especial importance, not only because of the cheapne ss of its construction, but also because of the convenience thereof, which permits the ready removal or insertion of the carbon-sheet withoutdisconnectingthe hinged clamping-plate, and therefore without danger of loss or displacement of said plate.

The holder and spring-arms thereof are preferably composed of a single piece of bent spring wire, or metal with the roller Q mounted on an inwardly offset portion of the holder, so that the tablet is engaged only about onethird of'its length, and that at the center; but the roller might be dispensed withentirely and the holder might engage the tablet the entire width thereof without departing from the spirit .of my invention.

The spring-arms I and R, supporting the clamping-plate and holder, respectively, are

preferably of unequal length, the holder-arms being the shorter, in order to facilitate the insertion of the tablet and the adjustment of the force of the springs, which could not be so readily accomplished if the arms were of equal length. I

' In Fig. 5 I have illustrated an attachment to the tablet, consisting of a roughened portion 0 at the outer end of the base A, between which and the clamping-plate the tablet is held, its surface being designed to maintain the ends of the order-sheet in proper position upon the base even down to the last order, thus preventing confusion and annoyance which would otherwise occur were the surface plain at the outer end of the base, for in that case when onlya few orders were left in the tablet a number, if not all, of them would probably be drawn out with every order; but with this roughened surface at the base all such objections are removed, and the tablet held evenly and smoothly in position by the clamping-plate until all of the orders are exhausted. This roughened surface may be obtained in any desired manner, either by inserting a roughened piece of metal, bythe attachment to the base of a strip of emery or sand paper, or by applying the emery or sand direct to the base, the only object being to provide a roughened surface between which and the smooth end surfaces of the clamping-plate orders may be held.

A manifold order book constructed as herein shown and described combines all the advantages necessary to produce a perfect book namely, simplicity, durability, and economy, the latter of which is of especial importance, in that it places a useful and almost necessary article within the reach of all, thereby benefiting the manufacturer, user, and purchaser.

Having described my invention, What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,

1. In' a manifold order-book, the combination, with the spring-actuated clam ping-plate, of a binding-plate hinged thereto, substantially as described.

2. In a manifold order book, the combination,with a pair of spring-arms and a clamping-plate connecting the free ends thereof, of a binding-plate hinged to one of said arms above the clamping-plate and provided with a spring-hook at the opposite end thereof for engagement with the other arm, substantially as described.

3. In a manifold order-book, the base, in combination with a pair of spring-arms having double angular bends at one end thereof, secured to said base, and a clamping-plate connecting the free ends of said arms,'substantially as described.

4. In a manifold order-book, the combination, with the base provided with a transverse groove between the center and one end thereof, of a pair of spring-arms secured to and extending longitudinally of said base,

the bodies of which lie in said transverse groove and the ends of which are bent at an angle to the body portion thereof, and a clamping-plate connecting the free ends of said arms, substantially as described.

5. In a manifold order-book, the combination, with the base and tablet, of a springactuated clamping-plate bearing on one end of said tablet, and a spring-actuated holder bearing on the opposite end of said tablet, substantially as described.

6. In a manifold order-book, the combination, with the base and tablet, of a springactuated clamping-plate bearing upon one end of said tablet, and a spring-actuated holder having an anti-friction roller mounted thereon and bearing upon the opposite end of said tablet, substantially as described.

7. In a manifold order-book, the combination, with the base and tablet, of the clamp in'g-plate and holder secured to spring-arms and extending in opposite directions from their point of attachment to the base-plate, said arms being of unequal length, substantially as and for the purpose described.

8. In a manifold order-book, the combination, with the base and tablet, of a springactuated clamping-plate, a holder secured to spring-arms, which latter are provided with double angular bends secured to said base, substantially as described.

9. In a manifold order-book, the base provided with a transverse slot and the tablet mounted thereon, of a spring-actuated clamping-plate, a holder secured to a pair of springarms extending longitudinally of and secured to the base, the body portions of which arms lie in said transverse grooves and the ends of which are bent at an angle to said body portion, substantially as described.

10. In a manifold order-book, the base provided with a transverse groove toward one end thereof and a tablet mounted thereon, in combination with a clamping-plate and holder bearing on the opposite ends of said tablet,

said plate and holder being secured to spring arms extending longitudinally of and secured to said base, the body portions of which arms lie in said groove and the ends of which are bent at angles to said body portions, substantially as described.

11. In a manifold order-book, the combination, With the cover and the record-card, of the metallic strengtheningplate D and me tallic holding-strip E, substantially as described.

12. In a manifold order-book, the combination of the base provided with a roughened surface near the outer end thereof, the tablet, and a spring-actuated clamping-plate for holding said tablet upon the base, substantially as described.

JAMES S. MCDONALD.

I Vitnesses:

A. M. BENNETT, W. R. OMOHUNDRO. 

